Republican 2024 Loyalty Pledge As Enforceable As All Trump's Other Contracts
To hear people like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis talking about "diversity, equity and inclusion" programs, you would think they murdered his dog. But the reason these programs exist is to ensure that workplaces and universities are not dominated by narrow echo chambers. Unfortunately for the Republican Party, this aversion to diversity looks to make their 2024 primaries look like an attack of the GOP clones.
I guess you have to purchase the DLC to unlock Donald Trump & Nikki Haley
So let's take a look at what will surely be a race to see who can be the most MAGA before Trump inevitably eviscerates them on national TV.
What's A Little Coup Amongst Friends?
On CNN's "State Of The Union" was Republican National Committee Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel, fresh from fending off crazed pillow salesmen, to discuss the upcoming announcement of the GOP primary rules.
Host Dana Bash asked McDaniel about the Republican Party's proposed loyalty pledge requiring candidates to support whomever the eventual 2024 nominee is in order to be allowed on the GOP primary debate stage. McDaniel said she all but expects that to be in the criteria, much like it was in 2016, before Bash rolled tape of Donald Trump's recent statement to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt about possibly doing the opposite.
When Bash asked McDaniel if she was prepared to block Trump from the debates based on his non-commitment, McDaniel's answer was not very reassuring.
MCDANIEL: Well, he signed it in 2016. He did.
BASH: I know.
MCDANIEL: Everybody signed it in 2016.
BASH: But this is about the here and the now. He didn't commit to it.
MCDANIEL: Yes, I think they're — I think they're all going to sign it. I really do. [...] I think they all want to be on the debate stage. I think President Trump would like to be on the debate stage. That's what he likes to do. And I expect they will all be there.
Bash then quoted former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson's objection to also signing this pledge of blanket allegiance to the 2024 GOP nominee and asked McDaniel a very obvious follow-up question.
BASH: He said, quote, "For leaders such as myself who believe Donald Trump is not the right direction for the country, and I said specifically that January 6 disqualified him, what would — that would certainly make it a problem for me to give an across-the-board, inclusive pledge." How do you make candidates like him, given the reality of what has happened on January 6, go against his — what he's saying is his principle?
McDaniel answered by making the subtext text about the GOP's thoughts on principles and January 6th.
MCDANIEL: I think you support the voters. The voters get to choose. And if the Republican voters pick the nominee [...] I'm going to support the nominee.
BASH: [...] You would be asking him to put party over country.
MCDANIEL: Oh, I don't see it that way. That may be how he sees it. I don't see it that way. I think, if the voters choose Donald Trump to be the nominee, if they choose Mike Pence, if they choose Mike Pompeo or Asa Hutchinson, everybody should support the will of the voters.
So, if you are keeping score, not signing the 2024 GOP pledge of allegiance to the nominee means you won't be allowed on the debate stage BUT leading an attempted insurrection is not disqualifying at all.
But all this talk about the pledge and its enforcement by the RNC seems to have a fatal flaw, which Dana Bash pointed out and McDaniel had no solution for.
BASH: One more question on this: How do you enforce it? Once — once you get to the point where there is a presumptive nominee, the debates are going to be over, so how do you even enforce this?
MCDANIEL: We're saying you're not going to get on the debate stage unless you make this pledge.
Trump has signed construction contracts and marriage licenses in his past but that still didn't prevent him from stiffing contractors who did work for him or replacing his wives with other models. The RNC has no way to enforce it and is counting on the honor system or the principles of those signatories ... which is not very reassuring. A "pledge" is only as good as the person who signs it, McDaniel, and Trump's is as good as a Trump University diploma.
Tim Scott Is A GOP 'Pick-Me' Candidate
Appearing on "Fox News Sunday" with Shannon Bream, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott was making his case as one of the potential Trump victims opponents on the 2024 GOP primary debate stage.
Tim Scott began by doing what he does best: making white people comfortable about racism in America by telling them that everything has been fixed and nothing needs changing.
SCOTT: Our original sin should never define us because the story of redemption is what we've been living through more than 50-plus years. The greatest story of progress in the world is American progress in the last 50 years.
Somehow Tim Scott either is unable or unwilling to address that a 247-year-old country only making marginal progress in the latter 50 years is an indictment, not a celebration. It's like an abusive, absentee divorced dad thinking a trip to McDonald's and an occasional birthday/Christmas present makes up for everything else inflicted upon their children.
Scott was then asked what makes him different from Trump or any other nominee on the 2024 GOP field.
SCOTT: The policy positions that I've taken. One of the most important parts of being in the majority was the opportunity we have with the Tax and Cut and Jobs Act.
Tim Scott touted his support for the Trump tax cuts as a policy difference. Seriously.
Trump is going to have a blast eliminating his cheap knockoffs.
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Sunday Shows: Post-State Of The Union Rundown
When Tapper asked about the two flying objects shot down this week over Canada and Alaska, Turner made it clear Republicans have no issue with political inconsistency.
TURNER: Yes, well, I certainly don't know, as the administration is saying they don't know. They do appear somewhat trigger-happy, although this is certainly preferable to the permissive environment that they showed when the Chinese spy balloon was coming over some of our most sensitive sites.
"Trigger-happy"?! After all their whining and posturing about shooting at the sky, they have the gall to now act like the Biden Administration is paranoid or "trigger-happy"? Turner, when asked about the discovery of further classified documents on a laptop and thumb drive belonging to a Trump aide, topped his hypocrisy with an extra helping of good ole' whataboutism.
TURNER: [...] They are not to be taken lightly. And we're just amazed as people keep finding them stuffed in the strangest places like behind Biden's Corvette. This is —this is clearly a failure of an understanding of how to handle the importance of these documents.
This lack of unseriousness and blatant partisanship is what we have to expect for the next two years.
We Aren't Cutting Social Security, Just Taking It To A Nice Farm Upstate
Rep. Turner was followed on "State Of The Union" by Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, who wanted to make sure that Biden was wrong about Republicans' intentions regarding Social Security.
ROUNDS: [...] I think that's misleading in terms of what he really intended to do. But, look, the bottom line is, is, Republicans want to see Social Security be successful and be improved. [...]
Well, you know what, maybe Biden was wrong and Republicans' intentions are noble, regardless of Rick Scott or Mike Lee. So, what is the senator's great plan to improve Social Security and make it more successful?
ROUNDS: [...] I kind of look at security the way I would at the Department of Defense and our defense spending. We're never going to not fund defense. But, at the same time, we -- every single year, we look at how we can make it better. [...]
So Republicans want to fund Social Security on a year-by-year basis?! I'm sure a lot of the seniors reliant on those benefits will be happy to know they'd be dependent on the Republican Party's political games and whims every year.
I guess a cut by any other name would still make Scott's shriveled heart flutter.
Influence Peddling Is Bad ... Unless It's Jared Kushner
Over on ABC's "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos, Chairman of the Oversight Committee Rep. James Comer assured everyone that his committee will take the buying of influence very seriously.
COMER: Now I don't disagree with the Democrats and their criticism of the previous administration. We have a problem here that needs a legislative solution. That's why this Biden investigation is so important. There's a legislative solution to this, and it can be bipartisan. The Democrats complained about Kushner's foreign dealings. Republicans are certainly complaining about the entire Biden family's foreign business dealings.
But when Stephanopoulos pushed Comer on why it seems that they're taking no actions on Kushner or the Trumps (other than lip service), Comer made it clear that his committee is just weaponizing the government for partisanship. Again.
COMER: [...] The difference between Jared Kushner and Hunter Biden is that Jared Kushner actually sat down [and] was interviewed. He was interviewed by investigators. So he's already been investigated. [...]
Thankfully, Stephanopoulos did a final fact-check before Comer slimed out the door.
STEPHANOPOULOS: [...] I think we only learned of the $2 billion Saudi investment from the Washington Post this morning, at least the details of it.
Unless James Comer's committee is full of Minority Report pre-crime investigators, it is pretty clear that the congressman's full of shit.
The Real Meaning of "Woke"
We end with New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu on CBS's "Face The Nation" with Margaret Brennan.
When asked about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's ongoing culture war against Disney, Sununu tried to describe his opposition to "woke cancel culture." Brennan asked for a simple explanation of whatever Sununu meant by "woke," and he quickly descended into gobbledygook.
SUNUNU: It's the ... it's the divisiveness ... divisiveness [...] Where it is me versus you. Whereas if you are not adhering to my ideals, then I'm going to cancel you out. It is us versus them. It is this binary, where everything's a war. [...]
Oh! Guess by that logic we can start counting Marjorie Taylor Greene, Tucker Carlson, January 6th insurrectionists, and Ron DeSantis as "woke."
However, Sununu successfully demonstrated that "woke" and "cancel culture" are right-wing dog whistles that, like "critical race theory," they can't coherently describe. Despite his efforts at distancing himself from other Republicans, he also proved our theory that "good Republicans" are not a thing. It is the media's attempt at "fetch."
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